The Versatile Brenda Lee

Last updated
The Versatile Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee--The Versatile.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 17, 1965 (1965-05-17)
RecordedOctober 1964–February 1965
Studio Columbia Studio
Genre
Label Decca
Producer Owen Bradley
Brenda Lee chronology
Brenda Lee Sings Top Teen Hits
(1965)
The Versatile Brenda Lee
(1965)
Too Many Rivers
(1965)
Singles from The Versatile Brenda Lee
  1. "Truly, Truly True"
    Released: March 1965

The Versatile Brenda Lee is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on May 17, 1965, by Decca Records and was her twelfth studio album. The album was a collection of 12 tracks and was named for the album's mixed range of material. Of its songs was Lee's single "Truly, Truly True", which became a charting US single in 1965. The album was met with mixed reviews following its release.

Contents

Background, recording and content

Brenda Lee had rose to stardom in her teens recording a variety of material. Beginning in the early 1960s, Lee recorded pop music had her greatest commercial success with songs like "I'm Sorry", "I Want to Be Wanted" and "Break It to Me Gently". These songs and several others rose to the top ten in the US and the UK through 1963. Many of her singles reached progressively lower positions as the 1960s progressed, but she continued having top 20 and top 40 singles. [3] One of Lee's chart records from this period was "Truly, Truly True". It was included on The Versatile Brenda Lee. [2]

The album project was taken from sessions held between October 1964 and February 1965 at the Columbia Studio, located in Nashville, Tennessee. All recording sessions were produced by Owen Bradley. The album contained a total of 12 tracks. The album was named for its mix of material, most of which were covers. "Few singers have the gift of versatility and the voice to make the well-known standards of the past sound rich and fresh," read the liner notes. [4] Among its songs was "Don't Blame Me" and "Willow Weep for Me". [2]

Release, reception and singles

The Versatile Brenda Lee was released on May 17, 1965, by Decca Records. The label distributed the album as a vinyl LP, offered in both mono and stereo formats. Six songs appeared on each side of the record. It was Lee's twelfth studio album in her career. [4] The project was given mixed reviews by critics. It was reviewed favorably by Billboard magazine who noted the album proves how Lee "can win a teen audience with current pop material and equally appeal to the adult market". [2] Meanwhile, Hi-Fi Stereo Review gave the album a less favorable response. "She certainly is versatile, as the album title suggests; she can perform badly in more styles than anybody I can think of." [5] AllMusic rated the album two out of five stars without a written review provided. [1] The album's only single was "Truly, Truly True", which was first issued by Decca in March 1965. [6] That year, the single rose to the number 54 position on the US Hot 100 [7] and number nine on the US adult contemporary chart. [8]

Track listing

Side one [4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Yesterday's Gone"
2:43
2."Dear Heart"2:45
3."I Still Miss Someone" Johnny Cash 2:48
4."How Glad I Am"
  • Larry Harrison
  • Jimmy Williams
2:50
5."Almost There"
6."Don't Blame Me"2:59
Side two [4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Willow Weep for Me" Ann Ronnell 2:26
2."Truly, Truly True (Tenkrat)"
2:40
3."Love Letters"2:02
4."The Birds and the Bees"Barry Stuart2:04
5."La Vie en rose" Edith Piaf 2:58
6."Maybe"
  • Al Flynn
  • Frank Madden
2:47

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Versatile Brenda Lee. [4]

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
AustraliaMay 17, 1965Vinyl LP (Mono) Festival Records [9]
JapanVinyl LPDecca Records [10]
North America
  • Vinyl LP (Mono)
  • Vinyl LP (Stereo)
[4]
United Kingdom Brunswick Records [11]

Related Research Articles

"Heartaches by the Number" is a popular country song written by Harlan Howard, and published in 1959. The sheet music was a best seller in both the US and Britain in January 1960.

<i>By Request</i> (Brenda Lee album) 1964 studio album by Brenda Lee

By Request is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on May 18, 1964 via Decca Records and contained 12 tracks. A majority of the album featured covers of songs first made popular by other recording artists of the era. Of its new recordings were three singles: "I Wonder", "The Grass Is Greener" and "As Usual". The singles reached top ten and top 20 positions on record charts throughout the world. By Request was met with mixed reviews upon its release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Lee albums discography</span>

The albums discography of American singer Brenda Lee contains 36 studio albums, two live albums, 62 compilation albums, two video albums, two box sets, 69 extended plays (EP's) and eight additional album appearances. In August 1959, Decca Records released Lee's debut studio album titled Grandma, What Great Songs You Sang!. Her second studio album Brenda Lee (1960) was the first to make the US Billboard 200 chart, climbing to number five. In October 1960, This Is...Brenda reached number four in the US and was her highest-charting album there. Lee's fifth album All the Way (1961) was her first to make the UK albums chart, rising to number 20. All Alone Am I (1963) was Lee's highest-charting UK album, rising to number eight in 1962. The Decca and Brunswick labels also issued a series of EP's by Lee during the 1950s and 1960s. Although none of them made charting positions both labels issued 66 EP's by 1967.

<i>Brenda Lee</i> (album) 1960 studio album by Brenda Lee

Brenda Lee is the second studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released August 1, 1960 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album's second single "Sweet Nothin's" became Lee's first major hit single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking within the Top 10. This was followed by the third single "I'm Sorry" released the following year that became her first single to top the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>This Is...Brenda</i> 1960 studio album by Brenda Lee

This Is...Brenda is the third studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released on October 10, 1960, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The release was Brenda Lee's second studio album released during 1960 and contained the single "I Want to Be Wanted", which became a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Emotions</i> (Brenda Lee album) 1961 studio album by Brenda Lee

Emotions is the fourth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released on April 3, 1961 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was one of two studio albums released by Lee in 1961 and its title track became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year.

<i>All the Way</i> (Brenda Lee album) 1961 studio album by Brenda Lee

All the Way is the fifth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released August 7, 1961, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was the second of two studio albums released by Brenda Lee in 1961 and spawned the single "Dum Dum", which became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and a UK single "Speak to Me Pretty", which reached No.3 on the UK singles chart.

<i>Sincerely</i> (Brenda Lee album) 1962 studio album by Brenda Lee

Sincerely is the sixth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released February 12, 1962 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was the first of two studio albums released by Brenda Lee in 1962 and did not contain any singles.

<i>Brenda, Thats All</i> 1962 studio album by Brenda Lee

Brenda, That's All is the seventh studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released October 15, 1962 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was the second of two studio albums released in 1962 and included two Top 10 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962 and 1963.

<i>All Alone Am I</i> (album) 1963 studio album by Brenda Lee

All Alone Am I is the eighth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released February 18, 1963, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album was the first of two studio albums released in 1963 and the album's title track became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>..."Let Me Sing"</i> 1963 studio album by Brenda Lee

..."Let Me Sing" is the ninth studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released December 9, 1963, on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album was the second and final album studio album released by Brenda Lee in 1963.

<i>Jan Howard Sings Evil on Your Mind</i> 1966 studio album by Jan Howard

Jan Howard Sings Evil on Your Mind is a studio album by American country artist, Jan Howard. It was released in July 1966 via Decca Records and contained 12 tracks. It was the second studio album of Howard's music career and her first with the Decca label. The disc combined new recordings with cover tunes. Among its songs was the title track, which was one of the four singles included on the album. It became top five single on the American country chart in 1966 while the album itself reached the top ten of the American country albums chart around the same time.

<i>Bad Seed</i> (Jan Howard album) 1966 studio album by Jan Howard

Bad Seed is a studio album by American country music artist Jan Howard. It was released in November 1966 via Decca Records and featured 12 tracks. The third studio album of her recording career, Bad Seed was named for its title track, which reached the top ten of the country charts in 1966. The disc was met with a favorable review from Cashbox following its release.

<i>Count Your Blessings, Woman</i> (album) 1968 studio album by Jan Howard

Count Your Blessings, Woman is a studio album by American country music artist, Jan Howard. It was released in June 1968 on Decca Records and contained 11 tracks. Most of the disc featured covers of popular songs of the era. The album's title track was spawned as a single, becoming a top 20 song on the Billboard country chart in 1968. Additionally, the album would reach peak positions on the American country albums chart. It was reviewed positively by Billboard magazine.

<i>Sweet Smell of Success</i> (soundtrack) Soundtrack to the 1957 film of the same name

Sweet Smell of Success is the soundtrack to the 1957 Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions film of the same name. The music from the film was released by Decca Records in June 1957 on two separate long play records; one featuring Elmer Bernstein's score, the other with Chico Hamilton Quintet's music.

<i>Queen of the House</i> (album) 1965 studio album by Jody Miller

Queen of the House is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in June 1965 via Capitol Records and contained 12 tracks. It was named for the title track, which became a top 20 single on the pop charts and a top ten single on the country charts. The remaining tracks were mostly covers of popular songs from the era. Queen of the House was met with positive reviews since its release. The album itself would also make both the American country and pop charts.

<i>Home of the Brave</i> (album) Studio album by American singer Jody Miller

Home of the Brave is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in October 1965 via Capitol Records and contained 11 tracks. The material mixed pop with country songs. Its title track reached the pop charts in several countries including Australia, Canada and the United States. The disc was Miller's third studio album in her career and received a positive review from Billboard following its release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Lee singles discography</span>

The singles discography of American singer Brenda Lee contains 90 as a lead artist, four as a collaborative and featured artist, nine released in foreign languages, 21 promotional singles, 19 other charting songs and two music videos. Lee's debut single was released by Decca Records in 1956 called "Jambalaya ". The 1957 single "One Step at a Time" was her first to make the US charts. The 1958 release of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" did not chart until Lee had further charting singles in 1960. Originally the US Hot 100 top 20, it would later top the same chart 65 years later in 2023. In recent years, it has also made chart positions in several other countries.

<i>Brenda Lee Sings Top Teen Hits</i> 1965 studio album by Brenda Lee

Brenda Lee Sings Top Teen Hits is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released by Decca Records on February 15, 1965, and contained 12 tracks. The album mostly featured songs made popular during the era in which it was released. Three additional songs were new recordings which were singles for Lee: "When You Loved Me", "Is It True" and "Thanks a Lot". Of its three singles, "Is It True" made the top 20 in the US and the UK. The album was met with positive reviews upon its release.

<i>Too Many Rivers</i> (album) 1965 studio album by Brenda Lee

Too Many Rivers is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on September 2, 1965, via Decca Records and was her thirteenth studio album. The disc consisted of 12 tracks that were mostly covers of songs recorded by other artists. Of its new tracks were two singles of Lee's: "Think" and "Too Many Rivers". Both tracks made record charts in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. The title track was the highest-charting single, reaching the US top 20 in 1965. The album was met with positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Versatile Brenda Lee: Brenda Lee: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Album Reviews: Pop Spotlight" (PDF). Billboard . May 22, 1965. p. 52. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  3. Unterberger, Richie. "Brenda Lee Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lee, Brenda (May 17, 1965). "The Versatile Brenda Lee (Disc Information)". Decca Records . DL-4661 (Mono); DL-74661 (Stereo).
  5. "The Versatile Brenda Lee". Hi-Fi Stereo Review . Vol. 15. 1965. p. 126.
  6. Lee, Brenda (March 1965). ""Truly, Truly True"/"I Still Miss Someone" (7" vinyl single)". Decca Records . 31762.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. ISBN   978-0-89820-188-8.
  8. "Brenda Lee Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  9. Lee, Brenda (May 17, 1965). "The Versatile Brenda Lee [Australia]". Festival Records . DL-31-712 (Mono).
  10. Lee, Brenda (May 17, 1965). "The Versatile Brenda Lee [Japan]". Decca Records . SDL-10203.
  11. Lee, Brenda (May 17, 1965). "The Versatile Brenda Lee [United Kingdom]". Brunswick Records . LAT-8614 (Mono); STA-8614 (Stereo).